Amy Tan to be Simmons Commencement
Speaker May 18
Acclaimed Author of “Joy Luck Club” Looks at Life Through Multicultural Lens

BOSTON, MA (April 18, 2003)— Amy Tan, whose internationally acclaimed novels often cut through cultural differences to explore the commonalities of families and fate, will be commencement speaker at Simmons College graduation ceremonies Sunday, May 18.

The ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. behind the Main Campus Building at 300 The Fenway, Boston, before more than 1,200 newly minted graduates.

“Joy Luck Club,” a novel about a Chinese-American girl who plays chess and her complicated relationship with her immigrant Chinese mother, was on the New York Times bestseller list more than 40 weeks and was made into a critically acclaimed movie. Tan’s first work of fiction, it was translated into 24 languages ranging from Korean to Icelandic. Saying that fiction is a process for “discovering what is true for myself, and only myself,” Tan went on to write other national bestsellers known for their seductive prose and many-layered narratives, often about family relationships, fate, and different cultures. Her books include “The Kitchen God’s Wife,” “The Hundred Secret Senses,” and “The Bonesetter’s Daughter.” A nonfiction book, “The Opposite of Fate,” will be published this fall.

The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Tan spent her early years in California, until her father and older brother tragically died of brain tumors. Her mother moved the family to Europe, where she finished high school. She earned degrees in English and linguistics from San Jose State University. She went on to become a language development specialist and a successful freelance business writer before quitting to write fiction.

Her books often are included as part of the multicultural curriculum of high schools and colleges, an honor she says causes her much ambivalence and led her to writing a speech for universities called “Required Reading and Other Dangerous Subjects.”

A passionate advocate of First Amendment rights and literacy and an accomplished musician, Tan is a member of a popular literary garage band “Rock Bottom Remainders” with novelist Stephen King and humor columnist Dave Barry. The group performs around the country—she sings “These Boots are Made for Walking”—and donates the proceeds to literacy and First Amendment rights groups.

During the Simmons College ceremony, Simmons President Daniel S. Cheever Jr. and Trustee Chair Anne Lincoln Bryant will award honorary degrees to Tan (Doctor of Letters); Carmen Baez ‘79, President-Latin America at Diversified Agency Services, a division of Omnicom Group, the world’s leading marketing communications company (Doctor of Communications); David Macaulay, award-winning children’s author (Doctor of Children’s Literature); Elizabeth Rawlins ‘67, Associate Dean of Simmons College Emeritus (Doctor of Education); and Allan Crite, artist and historian known for works exploring multiculturalism and the spiritual and cultural heritage of the United States and the African-American community (Doctor of Fine Arts).

Simmons College is a nationally recognized small university. It has undergraduate programs for women and graduate programs for women and men, including graduate schools of management, social work, library and information science and health studies. Founded more than a century ago, Simmons gained national attention as the first women’s college in the nation to offer women liberal arts training and career preparation.

CONTACT

Diane Millikan
617.521.2364

 

 

type size
normal large